5 issues to watch as the WA Legislature convenes Monday
After two years of debates, committee meetings and votes on Zoom, Washington legislators will return Monday in person to the Capitol. In the 105-day session, legislative leaders and Gov. Jay Inslee have signaled they’ll tackle thorny issues including homelessness, public safety, abortion rights and gun violence. Before their scheduled adjournment in April, lawmakers also must write the 2023-25 state budget, armed with a surplus that majority Democrats hope to channel to what they say are some of the state’s most urgent needs, like workforce shortages and child care. Here are a few key issues to watch in the upcoming session: Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Karen Ducey)
Why you should pay attention to the 2023 Washington Legislature
The unprecedented pandemic may be receding into the rearview mirror, but Washington’s elected officials still face a host of serious issues as the Legislature resumes its work on Monday. As 147 lawmakers stream in from near and far, they are expected to focus on Washington’s long-simmering crises: homelessness, housing affordability, the mental health system, education funding and keeping state workers happy, among others. And here too, the pandemic has left its mark. At the same time, the House and Senate are seeing generational turnover. An influx of brand-new lawmakers – many younger and more diverse than their predecessors – will take up the work of the institution that for generations was overwhelmingly white and often older. Continue reading at Crosscut. (Amanda Snyder)
More treatment or more jail? Washington lawmakers must approve new drug sentence rules or eliminate jail time for drug possession
As the Washington Legislature begins its work for 2023, lawmakers will have to weigh that and other tough decisions on drugs as they craft new sentencing rules for possession or ending all jail time for those crimes altogether. In February 2021, the state Supreme Court declared Washington’s felony drug possession statute unconstitutional. The decision left lawmakers scrambling to come up with a fix by the end of the legislative session. But the Legislature’s solution in 2021 was only temporary. “I think that there’s a diversity of views in the Legislature about what the right approach is, but I do feel like there’s a consensus building to do something that’s public health-focused,” Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig, D-Spokane, said, adding that some penalties for drug possession likely will remain. Continue reading at Spokesman Review. (Dan Pelle)
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